© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Story Of The First African American Face Transplant

There have been fewer than 50 full face transplant recipients in the world. And up until 2019, there had been zero done for African-Americans. 

By the time Robert Chelsea changed all that, he’d already rejected a face offered to him over a year earlier. The skin shade was too light. 

Today, meet Robert and his godson, Everick Brown, and hear the story of what happened.

You’ll also hear about the progress being made in organ and tissue donorship within Black and Brown communities in America, with Dr. Clive Callender, the founder of MOTTEP, which stands for the “National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program”.

Click here to make sure you're an organ and tissue donor.

Subscribe to Audacious for early access and bonus features!

Join the conversation onFacebook,Twitter, and email.

GUESTS:

  • Dr. Clive Callender is the founder of MOTTEP - National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program, and Professor of Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine
  • Robert Chelsea is the first African American person - and the oldest - to receive a face transplant
  • Everick Brown is Robert Chelsea’s godson, and the Spokesperson for Donor’s Dream, a non-profit that raises awareness about organ donation

Jessica Severin de Martinez and Catie Talarski contributed to this show.

Chion Wolf is the host of Audacious with Chion Wolf on Connecticut Public, spotlighting the stories of people whose experiences, professions, or conditions defy convention or are often misunderstood.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content